Animal Centre Deputy Manager (2946)

Do you want to help create a better world for animals? At the RSPCA, we believe animal welfare is everyone's welfare. Join us in creating a better world for every animal. We can do it if we work together, everyone for every animal.

Choose a career with us and make a difference.

We are looking for a new team member on a Fixed Term basis to the end of December 2026 as Animal Centre Deputy Manager at our Southridge Site. 

Southridge is an important part of our network, supporting the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of animals in need. With exciting plans to develop a co-located site, this is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of the centre and the services we provide.

This is an exciting opportunity to:

• Work closely with the Centre Manager to prepare the centre for its new co-located site.
• Inspire and support colleagues as we embrace this change together.
• Share your experience and knowledge across the centre, supervising colleagues and volunteers.

Working hours: 35 hours per week on a shift basis between 08:30 – 17:00, including weekends and Bank Holidays

Location: Southridge Animal Centre, Packhorse Lane, Potters Bar, EN6 3LZ

Southridge is one of the RSPCA largest centres caring for a significant number of dogs, cats and small animals along with taking a lead in holding and rehoming our farm animals in need of rehabilitation and rehoming.

Are you ready to join our movement?

Our recruitment journey 

1. Application
   You'll be asked to answer an application question to give us a sense of your experience, skills, and potential. Don't worry if you don't tick every box - what really matters is what you can bring to the role and the team.
2. Panel Interview
   If your application is successful, you'll be invited to a panel interview with the Hiring Manager and a member of the Management team . This is a chance to:

• Share more about what you've done and what you're proud of
• Ask questions about the role, team, and impact you could make
• Show off your skills and behaviours in a relaxed, supportive setting

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know - we're happy to support you.

For a full insight of this exciting role please refer to the attached job description.

In summary you will:

• Lead and develop teams of colleagues and volunteers, driving performance, engagement and wellbeing
• Ensure high standards of animal welfare across intake, care, rehabilitation and rehoming
• Oversee operational processes, including triage, assessments and welfare planning
• Manage and grow volunteer and fostering programmes, ensuring safe, structured and rewarding roles
• Deliver excellent customer service, handling queries, complaints and adoption experiences professionally
• Represent the organisation within the community, supporting engagement and fundraising initiatives
• Ensure health & safety, compliance and biosecurity standards are met at all times
• Maintain accurate administrative records and meet governance, audit and licensing requirements
• Collaborate across teams and departments to share best practice and improve performance
• Drive continuous improvement, supporting implementation of national standards and operational frameworks

Essential: 

• Proven experience in supervisory or line management roles
• Experience in animal handling and husbandry
• Background in customer service and volunteer coordination
• Experience applying Health & Safety procedures
• Confident in managing conflict and challenging situations

You will also bring: 

• Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to recruit, motivate and develop teams
• A collaborative approach, working effectively with colleagues, stakeholders and external partners
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and represent the organisation positively
• Confident handling of public relations and media interactions
• Resilience and sound judgement, with the ability to manage conflict and handle sensitive or challenging situations
• Adaptable and flexible, maintaining performance under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Customer-focused mindset, delivering consistently high standards of service
• Strong organisational skills, able to manage competing priorities and complex operations
• Commitment to animal welfare, with practical experience in animal handling and husbandry

Does this sound like a great match of your skills? If so, we'd love to hear from you.

Successful candidates for certain RSPCA roles will need to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK - We are unable to sponsor visas at RSPC

We want to ensure we do all we can to give you a positive candidate experience through our recruitment. Whilst we do try to give feedback where we can, sometimes due to receiving high levels of applications, this may not always be possible

We are building the future of a diverse Society, and our priority is to support animal welfare by finding people from all backgrounds who are committed  to our mission.  For this reason we actively encourage a wide diversity of applications - in particular from members of minority ethnic groups, and people with disabilities - as these candidates are currently under-represented at the RSPCA. Your transferable skills & lived experiences could make you a valuable addition to our RSPCA Family! 

We're here to support you and encourage you to let us know if you need any adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please feel free to contact us at resourcingteam@rspca.org.uk or 0300 123 0685 so we can ensure the process works for you.